Love by Essie is Essie’s new plant-based nail polish line. It’s currently available in Germany, and will later this year be released in the US too (confirmed by Essie, but no exact date is available yet). I was able to get my hands on one bottle, and I’m super excited! The color I got is called ‘Free in me’ and is the lightest pink creme of the 20 new shades. What makes this line different from the classic Essies is that it has an 80% plant-based formula, the bottle consists of 25% recycled glass, the cap consists of 93% recycled plastic (and is therefore not white, but a beige color), and the brush is made of bamboo fibers.
Love by Essie smells exactly the same as Essie’s regular nail polish. The consistency also seems to be the same, although this particular shade seemed to be a little bit thinner than Essie classics recent formula (but not as thin as pre-2015 Essies). The application was super easy and I reached opacity in only two coats.
The brush is the same wide paddle brush we’re used to from Essie, but instead of the classic black bristles, it’s transparent. I didn’t notice a huge difference, but I think it’s slightly stiffer than Essie’s regular brush. I actually kind of like it this way!
Of course, I couldn’t leave without doing some comparisons for this color. Essie Violin is basically an exact dupe for Love by Essie Free in me. Violin has been discontinued for over ten years now, so it is about time that Essie is releasing another shade like it. Essie Air spun fun is also extremely close to Free in me, but is slightly lighter and a bit warmer. Air spun fun is a slightly bit more opaque than Free in me, but I don’t think anyone is going to notice that difference. Essie Just grow with it is a lot more orange and darker than Free in me.
Conclusion & Availability
I’m a lot more positive about this new line than I initially was. This particular color is very cute and applies very well for such a light shade. I’m not really sure if the plant-based nature of the polish really contributes something to the environment, but it’s always good to see a company investing in new products that are more sustainable.
The Love by Essie line is available now in Germany and will be released in the coming year in the US and in the rest of Europe. In Germany, the Love by Essie colors are around 2 euros (2 dollars) more expensive than the classic Essies. My guess is that this will be similar in the US. Again, if you want to check out all the shades that are going to be released, then definitely check out this post.
Update: These shades are going to be available in the US starting from the May 18, 2023. You can preorder them over here on Amazon (affiliate link).
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
